Railroad-signal



(No Modl.) L. 3 S'Iheetsf-Sheet 1.

' L. MURPHY. RAILROAD SIGNAL.

No. 592.661. Patented Oct. 26,1897.

(No Model.) 3 Sheetsf-Sheet. 2.

LMURPHY. RAILROAD' SIG-NAL.-

No. 592,661. Patented Oct. 26, 1897,

1 e noms paens w.. Enom-wma.. wAs-mrrau n c Mod L. MURPHY. RAILROAD SIGNAL. N0. 592,561. Patented Oct. 26,1897.

llllll L' NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

LEANDER MURPHY, OF MANOR, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-,sie NAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,661, dated October 26, 1897.

Application led March 3, 1897.

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, LEANDER MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manor, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to railroad-sig-l nals, and has for its object the provision of novel means whereby the contraction and expansion of the wires and other connections between the operating-lever and the signal, due to variations in temperature and other causes, is compensated for.

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter describedand claimed, reference being had to the mechanical drawings, in which- Figure lis aside elevation of the operatinglever stand and semaphore-signal post having mounted thereon and connected therewith the devices pertaining to my improved compensator. compensating devices. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the compensating lever and its attachments on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4f is a side view of a home-signal post with a single semaphore-signal. Fig. 5 is a side view, and Fig. 6 a plan view, of a compensator for several signals. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of compensator to be used in the signal-cabin instead of on the signal-post.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention to the best advantage I have shown in Fig. l ofthe drawings a bracket-pole, upon which are mounted two independentsignalblades supported on separate standards rising from the cross-bar or yoke, and it maybe supposed that the signal-blades are green and that they give the usual indications when in horizontal and inclined positions. This style of signal-pole,with its groups of signal-blades, may be used either at a distance from the operators cabin or signal-house or it may be used for home signals with as many blades as there are diverging routes.

A specific description of the compensator as Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sain No. 625,859. (No model.)

unduly expanded by heat or other causes and to yield at some point when undue contraction ofthe wires or other connections occurs under the iniiuence of cold. The compensator is an apparatusset between the operatinglever and the signal-post iny operative vconnection with the connecting-wires, and it comprises, chieily, a Weighted lever and a set of wheels or pulleys', in contact with which pulleys the chains are so arranged that as the wirespcvontract the compensating lever will be raised proportionately to the contraction, and that when the wires expand the compensating lever will fall to an extent to take up the slack vand keep the wires at auniform degree of tension.

The operating-lever is shown at A in Fig. l and is mounted on alever-stand A'. This lever is constructed'and arranged in the usual manner, and to its laterally-projecting arms a a2 are connected the wires B B', which lead under the pulleys h to the signal-post C,where they are connected wit-h the arms of a weighted lever c, to which is attached the wire or rod c', the upper end of which is connected Ato the signal-blade A3. At the base of the signal-pole C is set the compensator, which is mounted upon a suitable supportingframe D and comprises the lever E, journaled at' one end to the supporting-frame D between the brass plate D and the bracket D2, the pulley-wheels d d', mounted on the' same shaft as the lever E, and the pulley-Wheels (12tlg, journaled to and adapted to travel with the lever E and located at a sufficient distance from the pulleys d d to enable the chains to pass from the pulleys d CZ' and under the pulleys d2 cl3 before being carried upward to the lever c.

YThe leverE consists of abar E', upon which is mounted the counterpoise-weight F near IOO its outer end and having attached to its iniddle part the offset metallic pieces E2E3, which the signal-arin is in a horizontal position orl at danger and the operating-lever thrown forward. In first adjusting the compensator and signal-wires the latter are made of such length that when drawn tight around the pulley-wheels of the compensator the coinpensating lever will be in a medium position between the limits of its stroke, and so long as 'no expansion or contraction takes place the lever will remain in this its normal position, but when the wires contract their increased tension upon the pulleys' d2 d3 will raise the lever upward to a distance corresponding to the amount of the contraction, so as to sufficiently relieve the tension and prevent the wires from breaking. Vlien, on the other hand, the wires expand, the lever being relieved of the upward pull of the wires upon the pulleys d2 d3 will fall a distance corresponding to the elongation of the wires and so maintain such wires at their normal working tension.

The lever E is weighted sufficiently to keep the wires properly stretched to maintain av signal at a proper working position. To cause the' compensating lever to operate steadily alid to 'avoid any suddenness` or jerkiness in` its movements, I employ ai cushioningapparatusconsisting of an upright cylinder G, piston g, and piston-rod r and connect said rod g to said lever, as shown.V This cylinder is filled with any suitable liquid, and a small hole is bored through the piston gto allow the liquid to pass vfrom one side tothe other of the piston as the compensating-lever rises or falls.v The piston traveling in the cylinder and being retarded in its movements by theliquid will have a very slow and steady motion, which will prevent any jar to the le'- ver while the signals are being operated. This cushioning and ietardiiig device is an important feature of my invention, as the signal-blades are usually weighted to their normal positions, and there is hence'always'a dead-weight to be started by the signal conncction,and unless this retarding device is employed the compensating lever would be' moved and the signal-wires and connections would not operate promptly.

While the compensator,constructed andarranged'as I have described it, will work effectively, I have provided a governing de'vice which tends to make the operation of the com'A pensator more certain under all conditions. This governor consists simply of a wire f, at# tached to one end'of a'lug f', projecting upwardly1 from the inner end of the coinpensating lever, and thence ruiming back and being rigidly attached to a signal-stake II. This wire is first brought to the same tension as the signal-wires when in their normal positions, but is much shorter than the signalwires, its length, however, depending on the distance `oflthe signal-pole from the operating-lever and other conditions to be determined in applying the compensator to practical use. This governor-wire, it will be understood, contracts and expands under the same conditions as the signal-wires,and as in practice I weight the compensator for the si gnal-wires and the governing-wire the compensating lever will move more steadily than it would if weighted simply to the requirements of the signal-wires.

Thus far I have described the compensator and its 'connections as a Imeans for compensating for the expansion and contraction of the two wires leadinglfrom the operating-lever to the signal-arin lever c. The compensator is, however, applicable to use in conn ection with any number of different signals, it being only necessary to increase the number of pulley-wheels according to the number of signals to be operated, it being understood that each signal-arin requires two connecting wireswith their chain-lengths embracing their respective pulley-wheels. As already described, the post C supports two different signal-arnis and their connections; but, of course, a single signal-arm can be employed under proper conditions, as shown, for instance, in Fig.l 4, which represents a home signal with permissive semaphore. The position represented indicates red by night or day, and when the signal-arm is dropped to an angle of thirty-seven degrees it is permissive orgreen bynight or day,and when at an an gle of eighty degrees is white or clear block. This style of signal-pole may also be used for distance-signals; Vhen the single compensator' is used in connection with several signais, the-compensating lever will carry two wheels for each wire, while the lever-stand will support'one pulley, as shown inFigs. 5-

IOO

IIO

drawings the compensator is so constructed and arranged as to bey specially adapted for usein'the signal-cabin, wherein it is located at thebase of the operating-lever stand. In this modification I support the stationary pulley-wheels I by supporting standards I upon a rigid'metallic frame?, whichis composed of two side frames secured together by transverse connections at one end, as shown at c'. This'frame is grooved longitudinally on the inner surfaces of these two side pieces, and in'this groove the 'frame .I is mounted and arranged to slide forward and backward. The compensating wheels K K' are journaled to the frame J, and the chains connected with the signal-operating wheels pass downward in contact with the peripheries of the wheels I I, and thence partially aroundand under compensating-wheels K K. The compensating lever E is pivotally connected at its rear end J' near the bottom of the latter andA is coupled to the inner end of the sliding frame J by a chain L', which passes from the cam L, secured to the lever E.

Now when the signal-wires contract, their tension or pressure on the pulleys .K being transmitted to the sliding frame cause the latter to move backward and thecompensating lever to be raised, and when the connections and signal-wires expand, the compensating lever, falling by its own weight, draws the sliding frame in 'the opposite direction to weight the pulley-wheels K, thus taking up the slack in the signal-wires. The principle of operation in this modilicationis the same as already described in connection with the compensator shown in the other iigures, the compensating wheels being attached to a sliding frame connected with and operated by the compensating lever, instead of being carried by the compensating lever itself.

Having described my invention, what I` claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l l. In railroad-signals,the combination with the signal-operating lever A, the semaphore signal-blade A3, the double liexible connections B B, through which the signal-blade is operated, the lever c mounted on the signalpost, the rod or wire c leading therefrom to the signal-blade, of a compensator, consisting of a stationary support D having journaled thereto, pulley-wheels d d', over which said connections pass, and aweighted lever E carl rying pulley-wheels cl2 d3, under which said connections are carried, said connections being attached at their upper ends to the lever c, and at their other ends to the operatinglever, substantially as described.

2. In railroad-signals,the combination with the `signal-operating lever, the signal-blade and the exible connections through which the latter is operated, of a compensator-lever located between the ends of said connections,

and a cushioning device constructed and arranged to retard the motion of the lever, substantially as described.

3. In railroad-'signals,the combination with the signal-operating lever, signal-blade, and iexible bladeoperating connections, of a compensating lever having attached thereto compensator comprising a weighted lever,

pulley-wheels mounted on stationary bearings, and twin pulleys mounted on movable bearings connected with said lever, the said iiexible connections being passed partially around said pulleys and the parts Abeing so arranged that as the flexible connections contract, one set of pulleys will be brought cor# respondingly closer to the other, and as the connections expand, the reverse movement will take place, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEANDER MURPHY. Witnesses:

A. F. LANDIs, J. F. LANDIs. 

